


mise en scène

by pilynator



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: 0 tragedy, F/M, Ok I lied, Pointless fluff, a smidge, dorks being dorks, female pronouns MC, good end jihyun, just a lil bit of angst, yes that includes the peace necklace, you people don't know quality fashion when you see it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-09
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-07-10 08:12:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15945320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pilynator/pseuds/pilynator
Summary: It was a great and wondrous thing to be able to invite laughter into his life again so freely.In which MC and Jihyun are natural born entertainers.Day 7:first love||after endfor Jihyun x MC week





	mise en scène

**Author's Note:**

> Aaand another one from the vaults because this week wrecked me and I didn't have time to write anything for V's V-day :( I might throw in a late celebratory fic but ughhhhhhh time.
> 
> Original author's notes:
> 
> _Back at it again with the v loose interpretation of a prompt, but with almost 0 angst this time around. For once._

Talking to her in person after all those months of anxious separation had felt surreal, almost like they were the only people left in the room. There had also been a bit of tearing up on her part, a lot of awkwardness in the immediate aftermath on his side of things, but they couldn’t worry about themselves for too long. There were guests to be entertained, caterers to be managed, and all those other pressing concerns of hosting the RFA party. So, she had left Jihyun languishing in a corner, with the promise of dropping by as often as she could. They were brief moments, bittersweet in their brevity.

During the last one, he had idly remarked that he would have liked their first date to be a bit different, that he would like a redo for a lot of those moments so he could experience them properly. He had expected her to comment on this momentary spot of melancholy in an otherwise joyful reunion. Instead, she had seemed rather excited about the comment.

‘Oh, I can do something about that!’ she said, cheerfully. There was a lot of conviction behind those words, which took him by surprise.

‘You can?’

‘Yeah, sure! Here, let me show you.’ She grabbed him by the elbow and guided him gently towards the nearest wall. Once there, she pointed to a column. ‘You stay here and act casual. I’ll go get some props.’

Jihyun looked at her for a very long time.

‘Props?’ he asked after a while, trying not to sound too suspicious. He did trust her - and whatever plan she had concocted - but had some  _concerns_ regarding the overall scenario. ‘Also, act casual? What should I do?’

The young woman smiled even wider at that, if that was even possible.

‘Oh, you know - props! To set the scene. Trust me, you’ll love it. Just pretend you’re waiting for a friend or something,’ she said. There was a bounciness to her voice that made Jihyun want to play along with whatever this was just so he could hear that tone again. He smiled.

‘Is this friend never going to arrive, by any chance, leaving me to engage in conversation and encounter a colourful cast of characters?’

‘Right on all counts. Regrettably, I’m just one colourful character at the moment, but I can definitely fill up a two-act play with a couple of different hats. Now, hold on tight while I go look for things.’ And with that, she left off in the direction of the great hall.  _Probably to consult with Luciel_ , he thought while rolling his shoulders to get some of the tension out. The sudden reminder that Luciel was something he would have to deal with was not a pleasant one. The thought made his stomach twist in uncomfortable knots and his palms sweat against the fabric of his clothes. It would have to wait for now, but he couldn’t put it off forever.

Well then. Trying very hard to pry his thoughts away from  _that_ particular subject, Jihyun figured he might as well try and get into the spirit of things. How did people act casually? Or, rather: how did people visibly act like people who are acting casually? He tried an experimental lean, one leg lifted off the ground and placed against the column with his body at a slight angle. He thought about it a bit more and then tried the same thing with his hands in his pockets. Better. Finally, he gave whistling a shot. It felt good enough, the best he could do without any idea of what she had in mind.

He didn’t have to around for too long. Jihyun could spot the top of her head making its way over to his little alcove through the thinning crowd of guests; it was getting late and most of the attendees had gathered in the hallway to say their goodbyes and exchange contact details. He felt his chest give a small pang of recognition at the scene and fought to wrangle his thoughts away from yet another thing he wasn’t quite sure how to feel about.  _A time and place for everything_ , he thought while looking for something to distract him. The cool surface of the column behind helped a bit. Jihyun tried to focus on the feeling of it and the weight it had in the world.

‘Hey, hey! Looking pretty casual. Glad to see you’re getting the idea.’ Her smile was still there, and it filled his heart with a warm, amber glow that pushed back the rising tide of anxiety. In her short leave, the woman had managed to collect a couple of objects she was now trying to balance precariously in her arms. Jihyun reached out and grabbed the top ones to help her out. At the very bottom of the pile, there was a white coat which he instantly recognised.

‘Hyun?’

‘Huh? Oh yeah, he agreed to help. Said it was his duty to provide for a lady,’ she said, and Jihyun threw a fond smile towards the great hall. She put the coat over her shoulders without fully wearing it and tugged it closer around her body. Next up came the mustache. He said  _Luciel_ at the same time she was mouthing  _Seven_  from behind the prop.

‘He said he stocks disguises in his car. Just in case,’ she laughed. Jihyun tried not to let anything show, but he suddenly felt the complicated feelings in his spine make a resurgence.

‘What’s with the other things?’ he asked quickly, trying to keep the conversation moving away from anything else that might remind him of the work that still needed to be done.

‘Patience,’ she teased, while grabbing something from his own pile. ‘These are for you, by the way.’

Jihyun made a small confused noise in the back of his throat, somewhere between an exclamation and a question.

‘A scarf and a fan?’

‘Jaehee’s,’ she waved her free hand around with a dramatic flourish. ‘I needed something to anchor your character. It’s very minimalist. A bit Brecht, if I do say so myself.’

‘I see,’ he said, considering the possibilities. ‘And the glasses?’ They were a mismatched pair, a thin champagne flute and a Port wine glass. She had also clumsily stuffed a red paper napkin in the second one.

‘Ah, you are so eager to find out about our concept! Don’t mind the napkin, I needed something that wasn’t wine, but looked like wine. My budget ran out for the champagne glass, so one of us is going to have to act slightly drunk. Okay, now put on your disguise and I’ll tell you all about our little play.’

Jihyun dutifully wrapped the scarf around his neck, letting one end dangle loosely. She gave him an appreciative look.

‘Perfect. I think you’re really getting the hang of this character. Okay, here’s our concept. We’ll act out  _someone else’s_ first meeting and first love, but they’re our characters, so we can do whatever we want with them. Brilliant, I know,’ she said tossing her hair over her shoulder. He chuckled at her antics, curious in spite of himself.

‘You’re going to play Eunbi Kang, a dissatisfied socialite. Put on your dissatisfied face.’ Jihyun gave it his best shot. ‘You look more concerned than dissatisfied, but that’s okay, we can work on it. Anyway, you’re dissatisfied with the way your life has turned out. You were hoping to become an actress, but times are hard, and it hasn’t worked out for you. Your social life is not enough to keep you going. In fact, you’re starting to get the feeling they’re holding you back. Still with me so far?’

‘I see you’ve given this a lot of thought,’ he teased, batting his eyelashes from behind the fan. She gave him a million-watt grin in return and giggled delightedly.

‘Nooow we’re talking! Perfect, the courtesan airs are staying, it’s very Eunbi.’

‘I’m sure it is. The glasses are from a bar, I assume? Are we in a bar right now?’

‘You are,’ she corrected. ‘You’re here to drown your sorrows. You have real bad ennui, nothing makes sense to you anymore. Here, hold this,’ she said, handing him the empty champagne glass. ‘You’ve drowned some of your sorrows. Tonight, you’re about meet a mysterious stranger who’ll change your life and you don’t even know it.’ She stopped for a moment to point at the mustache, ‘That’s me, by the way. I’m the mysterious stranger.’

‘What’s his backstory?’ Jihyun asked, finding that he was enjoying every minute of this despite his earlier reservations. It was such a silly thing to do, acting out an imaginary relationship in a secluded corner as the RFA party was coming to an end. It was silly and pointless and unnecessary and yet he welcomed the levity after the two years of healing and the  _other_  years. It was a great and wondrous thing to be able to invite laughter into his life again so freely. ‘I mean, uh,  _your_  backstory.’

‘Good question.  _I don’t know_. I did say he’s mysterious. No self-respecting man of mystery would divulge his past so quickly to a dame he’s trying to impress. Anyway, I’m going to come in from the other side of the pillar,’ she said while moving into position. Jihyun assumed what he hoped was a socialite stance. He closed the fan and held it up loosely with his right hand, wrist relaxed and pointed inwards.

‘What’s with the fan?’ she asked.

‘Oh, this is my cigarette holder now. Every socialite needs one.’ He felt quite proud of himself for coming up with that, and the appreciative glint in her eyes told him she agreed.

‘Brilliant, that’s the kind of go-getter attitude we need around this theatre. You need to nail that dissatisfied look, by the way. This scene is the turning point in Eunbi’s life. All the men in her life have been disappointing and she’s about to feel the possibility of something lovely for the first time ever. Okay, get in character. On the count of three!’

Jihyun waited patiently for the countdown to hit one. When it did, he heard her ambling footsteps creeping up behind him and, soon enough, the rest of her came into view with a hilariously exaggerated swagger. She walked up to him, leaned over with one arm propped up against the pillar, and then said, ‘Hey there, pretty lady, you come here often?’ with a perfectly straight face.

The mustache fell off.

Jihyun was not so composed. He completely lost any pretense at trying to keep a straight face and pulled her in a tight hug, using her shoulder to muffle a laughing fit he was trying to control for the sake of the last stragglers. Eventually, he calmed down. He still didn’t let go, though, and she didn’t seem in a hurry to leave either. They stayed like that for a while, enjoying each other’s warmth and company, until Jihyun finally broke free to look her in the eyes.

‘It’s good to be back,’ he said, softly, and leaned in for a kiss.


End file.
